#Part 2 - 'Beginning of the First Path' (Act 1) (Spawn Astarion Route)

[unknownmusing]

Baldur's Gate - Halsin x Astarion Fanfic: 'Always there to Travel the Same Path which One Walks' - Part 2 - 'Beginning of the First Path' (Act 1) (Ascended Astarion Route)

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2 DAYS LATER

Location – Shattered Sanctum, Ruined Temple – Western Heartlands – Early Afternoon

Asdalen’s P.O.V:

“Place him with the bear. Maybe he will make a good meal for it.”

“You heard Lady Minthara…Take him to the cage..”

Harsh, grating multitude of voices reach through unconscious haze, forcing me into a sharp awareness I’ve been captured and brought to somewhere with a screeching noise of cell door being opened indicating I’m about to be imprisoned.

Fluttering my eyes open, blurry vision of something brown, large and furry in the far corner of the cell comes into my line of sight with suddenly the large goblin who been dragging me flings me in with one single throw not even caring when I land on the harsh, uneven surface of the stone floor with a sickening thud – the injuries I had ascertained from somewhere soon making themselves known.

A clattering of my mask landing beside makes me scramble to grab hold of it, praying that Lesia is around somewhere and she is safe from harm – she would start to become extremely agitated if separated from me and could easily harm people around her – quickly slipping it back on.

“Oh, so you’re a Drow with a bit of history are we….” The Hobgoblin sneers out, forcing my eyes to widen heavily lifting my head straight up to see in cracked ornate mirror at the back of the cell my face is being shown in various angles – but enough to make out the details on it. “…Asdalen Wryric, the Snake of Faerun.”

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Location – Shattered Sanctum, Ruined Temple – Western Heartlands – Early Afternoon

Astarion’s P.O.V:

“Out the way.”

“But….Lady Minthara, we’s were only playing with him…”

“Enough….Out of my sight and go find Ragzlin, you brats.”

A voice, female speaks pushing the goblin brats who’ve surrounded me out the way, a ashen-grey hand reaching to haul me up by hair off up from the hard, stone cold floor of the ruined Temple  – my mind trying not think of memories of being trapped in the ‘kennel’ where Godey, would watch and wait for ample time to strike –  that try not show a wince on my features.

Vision clearing, it reveals the person holding my head by my hair is a female drow with braided white hair, distinct ashen-grey mixed with gold highlights and a harsh, cold face with her other hand grabbing hold of my chin tightly.

She turns it to side to side to analyse the details of it, until forcing it back to look at her.

“Hmm….How did you get here, elf?” She asks me, making me go to give back a sarcastic retort to her question when a sharp, blinding pain shoots through my head and memories not my own filter through my mind – I realise, suddenly, they are her memories.

She releases my hair, wrenching away like I’ve burned her – maybe in a way I have with whatever that telepathic connection wave had been made. She glares down at me, while another figure appears, a large red Hobgoblin, to stand beside her.

“You called for me, Minthara. What bothers you?” the Hobgoblin states, large red arms crossing over their large, muscular chest – a beady eye flicking over my rugged appearance - with me, wondering if should try to create a diversion to escape.

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[unknownmusing]

Baldur's Gate - Halsin x Astarion Fanfic: 'Always there to Travel the Same Path which One Walks' -  Part 2 - 'Beginning of the First Path' (Act 1) (Spawn Astarion Route)

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Notes

This chapter deals with introducing and bringing everyone together hence the title 'Beginning the First Path'

Astarion due to their Tadpole and other reasons has lost all memories of him and Halsin sharing time together so that will be explained in further chapters

Asdalen as also lost his memories in the process.

The new character mentioned by description will be explained in further chapters

Short chapter

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Location – River Chionthar, the Ravaged Beach - Destroyed Nautiloid - Mid-Morning

Astarion's P.O.V:

Reassured by the Archdruid called Halsin, after he gives me a healing potion to speed up my Healing Factor – noting internally the potion has a faint aftertaste of honey and oak – I watch from the grassy verge where he’d told me to remain in such studious way, I gone to interject but a firm, stern glare and one hand being held up in front of my face effectively shut me up.

Damm, Archdruid, who does he think he is?

Though a benefit is the healing potion has acted more quickly than my healing factor.

Settling myself down on the grassy ledge above where the destroyed Nautiloid lays down below, I reach one hand into the travelling pack for the flask of wine and a cup to pour myself a glass – even though it may taste like ash to my tastebuds.

Another crackle of magic in the air nearly sets my hair standing on end, a large roaring sound of what sounds like a bear and finally, the sight of my ‘siblings’ escaping the ravaged beach area with their metaphorical tails tucked between their legs.

Bringing the cup of wine to my lips, I take a sip finding it’s not wine, but in fact it is blood mixed with a pinch of Nutmeg.

 How strange? Whoever left this traveling pack behind certainly knows about Vampires. Blood mixed with pinch of Nutmeg, could get addicted to this.

Relaxing on the grassy ledge, I see below from my vantage point the Archdruid Halsin is beginning to talk with the Barbarian female Tiefling, a Cleric – summarising from the way the half-elf acts around others – and the Wizard wearing robes of lilac seems to radiate strange, dangerous mystical energy around him.

Up on a long ridge on the other side, a sight of two figures coming down the hillside of it to the destroyed Nautiloid draws my attention away from the group below me.

The reason being one of them is dragging one of my ‘siblings’ Leon by his hair, with Dalyria trying to placate with a tall black man to let her ‘Brother’ free before he burns to crisp seeing already flakes of Leon’s skin are peeling off.

Typical, it had to be these two to be the ones left behind. Well, Astarion, you better head down and introduce yourself then.

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Location - Emerald Grove, Western Heartlands, West Faerun – After Mid-Morning

Asdalen’s P.O.V:

“Brother, are you alright? I was so worried when….”

“Listen, Archdruid Halsin, I apologize but…...I…Why are you calling me ‘Brother’?”

 The Archdruid Halsin begins to ask me, only to step back when I ask that question looking at me with his face going white as a sheet, a trembling hand coming up glowing with golden energy before exploding in a bunch of dead leaves and eyes starting to glisten with tears.

“I…Oakfather, why has this happened?......” He begins to say, only to mutter the rest of his sentence under his breath and beginning to pace back and forth until stops to look at me in such a way it makes my chest ache at the sight of it.

Is the reason he called me ‘Brother’ is because I remind him of someone else? Why does it feel right though when it calls me that. Are we related in some way?

Finding I don’t know what to say to him, I head over to where a Blacksmith is talking to Karlach – a female Barbarian Tiefling – about her Infernal Engine seeing the male sand-coloured Tiefling is thinking about something, his clawed hand stroking his chin in deep thought.

“I have an idea. It might work with some Infernal Iron.” The blacksmith tells her, reminding me of a piece of metal I’d picked up when exploring around the destroyed Nautiloid that reach into the traveling pack to get it out.

“Here. Will this do, Blacksmith?” I ask, holding it out to the sand coloured Tiefling who immediately takes it off my hands inspecting the piece of metal feeling Karlach, giving me a quick hug so she doesn’t burn me.

“Yes!!!? Thank you, I can work with this….Hang on…” the Blacksmith replies, turning to his anvil where placing on the metal on top reaches for the hammer heating up in the coal-fire to begin hammering it.

Sparks occasionally fly, a metallic ring echoing every-time he brings the hammer down to shape it – his muscles bulging with the effort, sweat forming and fierce concentration showing on his face – until stepping back to admire his handiwork.

Lesia, who’s been playing in the centre of the grove comes walking over to stand beside me along with someone else joining us: a Tiefling with light green-blue eyes, short-cut blue and black dyed hair and a silver looped-shaped earring and curved horns.

“Dammon, brother.” She says, making him turn his face followed by embracing the female Tiefling in his arms with “LITTLE SISTER!!?” reassuring Karlach, who’s expression had been briefly one of jealousy at the sight of the new Tiefling gives out a gentle sigh of relief at the fact the young Tiefling is Dammon’s sister.

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Location - Emerald Grove, Western Heartlands, West Faerun – Still Mid-Morning

Astarion’s P.O.V:

“I…...Archdruid, sorry to ask you of this….is there somewhere I can lay down?”

“Is your head hurting?”

Lifting my head up, I look at the Archdruid Halsin who turns slightly to face me at the top of the flight of stone-carved steps leading into the hidden areas of the Emerald Grove – the sleeping areas where most of the Druids would stay in during the heavy winter months that would hit West Faerun  - to look at me.

“Not really. It’s…just so can mull over what has transpired, darling.” I reply, a flirtatious tone forming in my voice and stepping myself closer to Halsin, who gives me a look he’s not amused by it.

Those beautiful, bold brown eyes ringed with gold showing a hint of displeasure, that it feels oddly fun to rile the Archdruid up this way.

“I think a rest would better suit you instead of flirting this way, Astarion Ancunin.” Halsin states to me, descending the stone-carved stone steps with no backward glance. His mistake, so descend the stone-carved steps to confront him.

How does this Archdruid know my full name!!!? I never told him!!! So how…!!!??

Slipping the dagger into my hand from my sleeve, nearly reaching him it’s the sudden sense of something that draws my attention away from him.

Curious, I stop in my pursuit of Archdruid Halsin to walk over to the area finding more stone-carved steps leading down to what must be another secret area.

Something about it though feels familiar – like I’ve been to the area at some point in my life, but I know I haven’t – placing a hand on the curved wall wondering should I descend into the bowels of Emerald Grove to figure out what is calling out to me.

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